Speculation regarding Devendra Fadnavis being tasked with a role in Delhi is once again doing the rounds in the Marathi media. This time, however, it is the Opposition that has fuelled talk of the Maharashtra Chief Minister being asked to take up cabinet responsibility at the Centre.
According to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, the Gen Z protests that led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan have shaken the NDA government. While Pralhad Joshi has replaced Pradhan, Raut said he has solid information that Fadnavis will soon be asked to take his place.
"There is a leader in Narendra Modi's mind. A highly educated, capable administrator with a vision should be appointed to head the Education Ministry. If there is one person who could become an excellent Education Minister in the country, it is Devendra Fadnavis," Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying by TV9 Marathi.
"Narendra Modi knows this too. Prime Minister Modi has also held discussions about it. Modi has suggested to Fadnavis that he take charge of the Human Resource Development Ministry," the report further quoted Raut as saying.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development was reportedly renamed the Ministry of Education (India) in August 2020. It operates through the Department of School Education & Literacy and the Department of Higher Education.
But if Fadnavis is to move to Delhi, who will succeed him in Maharashtra? Raut claims it will be someone who can be easily controlled from Delhi.
“Even if Chief Minister Fadnavis moves to the Centre, there is no question of who the next Chief Minister will be," he said.
"There is a tradition in the BJP of ruling the states from Delhi. His party has made someone sitting on the last bench the Chief Minister. Do you know the name of the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister? People have to look it up. The person is minimally capable, unpopular, and lacks the ability to lead. The Bharatiya Janata Party appoints such people to these positions. A Chief Minister of Modi’s choice will be appointed," TV9 Marathi quoted him as saying.
It was earlier reported that Shrikant Shinde could be inducted into the Union Cabinet along with Omraje Nimbalkar and Sanjay 'Bandu' Jadhav as a mark of recognition for the Shiv Sena (Shinde) group's efforts to strengthen the NDA.
Shrikant Shinde, Kalyan MP and son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is said to have masterminded "Operation Tiger" in Maharashtra, which resulted in six MPs leaving Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) for the NDA-aligned rival faction.
